


All Hallows

by Sholio



Category: Agent Carter (TV)
Genre: Dancing, Gen, Halloween, Halloween Costumes
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2016-11-01
Updated: 2016-11-01
Packaged: 2018-08-28 08:06:04
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,532
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/8437879
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Sholio/pseuds/Sholio
Summary: Two Halloweens at the SSR, one year apart.





	

**Author's Note:**

> Happy Halloween!

**Late October 1945**

Peggy had only been working for the New York SSR for two weeks when Halloween rolled around. She was vaguely aware there was some sort of party, but she didn't bother attending; she stayed all evening at the office to get paperwork done. At that time in her life, she still believed that if she impressed Chief Dooley and the others with her hardworking efficiency, she would be given a field assignment soon.

She didn't make it back to the flat until long past midnight, and could only snatch a couple hours of sleep before Colleen came in, half drunk and trailing ribbons with tinkling bells tied to them; she'd dressed up as a harlequin.

"Don't get up, don't get up," she protested as Peggy tried to pry herself sleepily out of bed. "I'm only here to change my shoes. These heels are killing me." As she kicked off the offending shoes and rummaged in the closet for more, she called over her shoulder, "Did you get a load of Times Square? It's a real trip, I tell ya." She turned around with a pair of flats dangling from her hand. "C'mon, Peg, if you aren't partied out, come do New York with me. I'm about to head down to the Village."

Peggy smiled politely and declined. "You go have fun. I'm not one for parties, I'm afraid."

* * *

**Late October 1946**

"C'mon, English, stop primping," Angie called impatiently through the open bedroom door. "Our cab's waiting."

"I'm not primping, I'm only trying to get my tie to lie flat," Peggy complained, squirming in front of the mirror. "How do men manage?"

She looked rather dashing, though, if she did say so herself, especially with her borrowed brown fedora tipped down over one eye. She'd talked Jarvis into helping her make the alterations to one of Howard's suits to fit her shorter and, admittedly, rounder shape, and he'd done his usual stellar job.

Angie was waiting in the hallway, tugging down her gingham Dorothy Gale skirt while a basket with a stuffed Toto sat on the floor next to her. She raised an eyebrow when she saw Peggy. "You're gonna wow all the boys in that getup. And the girls too."

"I hope so. And now let us make our getaway. Mr. Jarvis heavily implied that we might wish to be out of the house this evening, in case the house receives spillover from Howard's penthouse party."

"I can't believe you're partying with a bunch of feds instead of whooping it up with New York's most eligible millionaire bachelor, Peg."

" _You_ are entirely welcome to attend. I understand he's booked an entire troupe of French showgirls and a zebra."

Angie looked torn, but then she hooked her arm through Peggy's. "Can't say it ain't tempting, but things are more interesting with you, English. Even if I mighta liked to see the zebra," she added wistfully.

"If you're lucky, maybe one of the agents will be dressed as one."

 

***

 

Peggy didn't remember, or maybe she just hadn't noticed last year, how the city went wild on the last weekend before Halloween. The cabbie wove skillfully through clusters of costumed revelers and let them out in front of the club the SSR had booked for their party. In the midst of all that glitter and finery, Peggy's own male duds seemed downright drab. However, she didn't realize until she playfully opened the door for Angie without getting a strange look that the cabbie hadn't actually realized she wasn't a man. It was a heady feeling that she let herself indulge in for a moment, before Angie grabbed Toto's basket and they swept through the doors into the music and noise and smell of cheap whiskey.

The party wasn't upscale, but it was certainly loud. The SSR had gone so far as to hire a band, who seemed to be trying to make up in volume what they lacked in skill.

Peggy found herself feeling suddenly, unaccountably shy, especially when the agents nearest the door glanced her way with wary, unrecognizing looks -- only to do a double take as they recognized her.

"That _is_ Peggy!" Jack's voice announced stridently over the top of the music, and any hope she had of making a quiet entrance withered and died. "Told you it was her," he added in an aside as he bore down on her in the company of Daniel. He gave Angie and the Dorothy Gale outfit an appreciative look. "What's a nice girl like you doing with a guy like this? Good taste in dates, Carter."

"It's only out of pity for you boys, so you won't have to pair up and dance with each other like you did during the war," Peggy said.

Angie giggled. "I'll have you know I coulda been seeing zebras at a Stark party right now, so you SSR folks had better be entertaining."

Jack blinked. "Zebras -- no. No. I'm not going to ask."

"Peggy, you look --" Daniel was plainly groping for words. "Different," he managed at last. 

Daniel, for his part, had made _Peggy_ do a double take; he was wearing a double-breasted suit in a brilliant scarlet and a pair of devil horns. The crutch now bore an extension that went as high as his shoulder with paper-maché pitchfork tines. Jack, on the other hand, was wearing his usual suit.

"It's quite refreshing to take a walk on the other side," Peggy said. "I understand now why you men enjoy these sorts of clothes. They're very comfortable, aside from the tie. Look." She lifted the corner of her suit jacket. "I even have the braces."

"They're called suspenders here," Jack remarked.

"Suspenders are the things that hold up a lady's undergarments; I simply refuse. And aren't you supposed to be dressed up?" Peggy asked him archly.

"I'm a Commie spy," Jack said with great dignity. "They look just like everybody else."

"He means he forgot about the party until five this afternoon," Daniel confided to Peggy in an ostentatiously loud whisper. 

"I did _not._ Look." Jack rummaged in his pockets. "A full Russian spy kit. See, listening device -- codebook -- suicide pill. All the standards."

"I recognize that bug from the SSR labs," Peggy remarked. "And that's one of our old codebooks."

"And a breath mint," Daniel added.

"No respect around here. _None._ " Jack stuffed the codebook back in his pocket, and held out his hand to Angie. "Care to dance with a Russian spy, Dorothy?"

"In a room fulla G-men? That doesn't sound good for my health." But she looked flattered, even as she glanced wildly around for a place to put her basket. "English, help -- I don't think I thought this costume through ..."

"Here, I'll hold Toto for you," Daniel offered, beating Peggy to it. "I'm not really much of one for dancing."

With the basket offloaded, Jack gallantly took Angie's hand and swept her off to the dance floor.

"But you should dance," Peggy told Daniel.

Daniel smiled ruefully. "I'm not really much of a dancer these days. You won't have any trouble finding dance partners from the look of things."

Indeed, several agents were looking hopeful now that they'd figured out who she was. Peggy ignored them and turned to Daniel. "I'd really prefer to find the bar. I could use a drink. Shall we?"

She honestly had not expected to have as much fun as she did. She definitely had _not_ meant to dance. As the evening wore on, though, somehow she ended up dancing with almost all of the men at the party -- and a few of the women, including Rose from the switchboard (delightfully dressed as a garden fairy, half buried in silk flowers), and Angie too at one point. The Toto basket had, by now, migrated off to the end of the bar and had a dish of peanuts on top of it.

"More fun than zebras?" Peggy inquired as she twirled Angie about the dance floor.

"I'll regret the zebra to my dying day, Peg."

"If you ask nicely, I'm sure a private meeting could be arranged. I'll ask Mr. Jarvis about it."

Breathless and laughing, she dropped Angie off at the bar and then found herself captured by Jack. Unsurprisingly he turned out to be a good dance partner -- graceful, skillful, and light on his feet.

"I'm not sure if it's really appropriate for me to dance with you, is it? As you're my boss and all."

"I'm not sure if it's appropriate for me to dance with you dressed like _that_ , but here we are," was his retort.

She really did wish that she could have talked Daniel into it, but he seemed determined to sit out the dances. However, she glanced over to see him with Rose and Angie at the bar, laughing and apparently having fun, so that was all right. Some other time, maybe. 

They would have plenty of time.

And she thought, as she spun around the dance floor with Jack's light touch at the base of her spine, getting admiring looks from a room full of people who'd hardly noticed her a year ago: _what a difference a year makes._


End file.
